OT: Marquette MBB closing in on hiring Texas coach Shaka Smart
I mean, kudos to Shaka for getting out of Austin before he's fired in the next year or two but boy this feels like a gamble by Marquette. Just my take but Shaka seems like a great Recruiter but I have not been impressed by the in-game coaching or the player development. Be interesting to see what this does for Recruiting, as we've lost some battles the last few years with Marquette and Texas both.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
And you can say "You can say that again" again!
Was having late night issues ?
March 26th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
I like Shaka as a regular season coach, I think he is one of the worst post-season coaches. His decisions during high stakes games are less than stellar IMO
But good for Marquette, he'll get'em back being consistently competitive
March 26th, 2021 at 11:50 AM ^
I know the tournament is wacky.
But this version of Texas had no business losing to Abilene. It looks even worse when UCLA just bowled over them.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
Totally agree...you cant freakin lose those games with the talent they have. Just did a quick browse of their years of recruiting with Shaka , and while not the highest rated recruits (minus Greg Brown), still very strong and should be beating a lot of teams.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:10 PM ^
Plus, even if one year's tourney results might be fluky (see: Beilein losing to Ohio in 2012), when you lose six consecutive tournament games, that's probably no longer a fluke. Our win over VCU in 2013 started an NCAA tournament losing streak for Smart that is ongoing.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
At least Ohio went to the Sweet Sixteen and took UNC to OT. If Abilene Christian would've gone on a similar run, then maybe you can excuse the loss. But they proved on Monday that they had no business making it to the second round.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^
Yeah, as upsets go it wasn't all that bad. But it was the only time Beilein ever lost his first game in a postseason tournament (BTT or NCAA) for us.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^
I live in ATX, this feels like Shaka breaking up with Texas before Texas breaks up with him. He was on borrowed time here as it was.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Smart (ha!) move for him. Also works out great for Texas, who saved a bundle on his buyout.
For Marquette? I'm not sure I understand their thinking. Shaka hasn't won a tournament game since 2013.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
Wonder if Texas #13 5* point guard Kennedy Chandler is thinking about asking out of his commitment. Let’s just go ahead and start that rumor.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
I believe he is committed to the other UT lollol
March 26th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
He might be the biggest name willing to come to Marquette, but I'm not sure he's the best hire.
A general rule of hiring: you want a guy whose current fanbase would be sad to see him leave. I don't think that's the case for UT fans. It sounded like he was on the verge of getting fired.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:43 PM ^
I think Texas is way more dysfunctional than you're giving them credit for
That might be, but in six years there he's 0-3 in the NCAA tournament. That's not good by any reasonable standard. He's recruited plenty of talent but has had little to show for it.
Texas is more about texas than it is about winning. The shit going on with the football program kinda shows that. Shaka slightly underperformed what was there before him. They've made the final four 3 times in their history. This isn't a basketball school, it never was. Now they think they're going to pull Calipari as a replacement. No matter how wild some of the delusions of our fanbase gets, its nothing on what texas thinks of itself
March 26th, 2021 at 12:19 PM ^
If I was an elite HS player, there's only one guy I'd want to play for, and he currently coaches in Ann Arbor MI
March 26th, 2021 at 12:39 PM ^
Shaka is a good coach...Texas had a really good year, just lost a very close game in the tourney. Would’ve been similar to Michigan bailing on Beilein for getting beat by Ohio in 2012.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:45 PM ^
2012 was the only time Beilein underperformed in the tournament at Michigan. (It also came after we had shared the league title.)
In 2009 we were a 10 seed and won our first game, then lost a competitive game to 2 seed Oklahoma.
In 2011 we were an 8 seed and destroyed Tennessee, then lost a heartbreaker to 1 seed Duke.
Shaka Smart OTOH hasn't won a game in the tournament in eight years.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:41 PM ^
The way the "donors" to the school reacted to the controversy over the eyes of texas, and the way the school responded, Ya, I'd get out too. Can't wait to see what nba wash out they pick to replace him. I'd bet it's going to be someone who they can passably say is a prestige hire but that the boosters can completely control.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:57 PM ^
This only makes sense if he was about to get fired! Or got a huge raise!
The jobs are dwindling down, makes me wonder if Beilein isn’t really interested in these jobs or if his age is becoming a factor in all of them. Beilein is 10 times the coach of Smart but he’s a lot younger.
I also feel like the success Juwan is having this year is propelling a lot of programs to go out and hire black coaches as well. You can see that just in the conference alone.
Beilein's age is definitely a factor. Ten or even 5 years younger he'd be in demand.
Feels like Texas is getting the bargain here because they don't have to fire him.
I don't see how this makes Marquette demonstrably better on the court.
Pretty uninspiring hire. There is enough good teams in that league that Marquette will still be the equivalent of Butler.
Shaka has shown he is no better than Jamie Dixon or Rick Barnes. If I had a rooting interest I would be more excited to see a coach on the rise not one on the decline.
Shaka had already peaked when Texas hired him and was on the decline. They just wanted a flashy name. I'm guessing Marquette did the same.
I call bs, and they using it for leverage on the guy the really want in Beilein.
Shaka pulls the "Tubby Smith" maneuver.
Tubby left Kentucky for Minnesota with similar questions about his future around...
Seems weird now, seemed weird then. But it's a wise move.